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Margaret Cavendish
Margaret Cavendish (1623-1673) was an English philosopher, poet, playwright, and scientist. Born Mary Lucas, she was the youngest of eight children in a wealthy aristocratic family...view moreMargaret Cavendish (1623-1673) was an English philosopher, poet, playwright, and scientist. Born Mary Lucas, she was the youngest of eight children in a wealthy aristocratic family. With access to libraries and tutors, she showed intellectual promise and began writing at a young age, but felt pressure to pursue a more traditional feminine lifestyle. As a young woman, she found employment as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Henrietta Maria, accompanying her into exile in France during the English Civil War. Although she struggled to acclimate to high society, she remained in her role for several years until marrying William Cavendish, the Marquess of Newcastle. With her husband’s support, Cavendish embarked on a career in literature, publishing broadly in the last decades of her life. Her major works include Poems and Fancies (1653), A True Relation of my Birth, Breeding, and Life (1856), Plays (1662), and Plays, Never Before Printed (1668), the latter of which includes her beloved comedy The Convent of Pleasure. The Blazing World (1666), a utopian novel, is considered a landmark work of science fiction and has earned praise from modern feminist scholars for its pioneering depiction of gender and sexuality. In 1667, Cavendish broke new ground as the first woman to attend a meeting of the Royal Society of London, where she engaged with such philosophers as Thomas Hobbes, Robert Boyle, and René Descartes. A vitalist, she rejected Aristotelianism and published six books on natural philosophy in her lifetime, including Observations upon Experimental Philosophy (1666). Largely derided by such contemporaries as Samuel Pepys and Dorothy Osborne, Cavendish has since been recognized as a groundbreaking figure in the history of English literature.view less
Books by Margaret Cavendish
The Blazing World The Blazing World (Dystopian Novel) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Blazing World and Other Writings Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Ultimate Sci Fi Collection Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Description of a New World, Called the Blazing-World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Female Academy: 'I will put my Daughter therein to be instructed'' Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Convent of Pleasure Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Presence: 'Marriage is the grave or tomb of wit'' Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Sociable Companions: 'For Pleasure, Delight, Peace and Felicity live in method and temperance' Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings90 Masterpieces of World Literature (Vol.I): Novels, Poetry, Plays, Short Stories, Essays, Psychology & Philosophy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Blazing World Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Audiobooks by Margaret Cavendish
The Blazing World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Blazing World Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5